


is it worth it

by beegreen



Category: Hockey RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M, Not Famous Tyler
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-02
Updated: 2018-06-02
Packaged: 2019-05-17 03:53:09
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,501
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14824757
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/beegreen/pseuds/beegreen
Summary: Jamie’s met a lot of heads of charitable organizations over the last few years but he’s pretty sure that none of them have ever looked like Tyler Seguin.





	is it worth it

**Author's Note:**

> This all started because I desperately wanted to read a WAG Tyler fic and while this is not quite it, this is as close to one as my brain could get. Thank you so much to Hels for the beta, the support, and you know everything. And thank you to P for all the advice as well.

Jamie awkwardly fidgets with his tie as he waits for the bartender to hand him a beer. It’s not that he doesn't appreciate the support of the fans and it’s not that he doesn’t love the idea of supporting charities, but the prospect of spending an entire night making small talk with strangers isn’t exactly Jamie’s idea of a good time.

“Thanks,” he nods when he finally gets his beer, hoping that a little buzz will help loosen him up and make him sociable enough to survive the evening. He spots a corner that seems relatively empty, a perfect place to hide out at least until he finishes his drink. He slinks across the room, pausing he feels a light tap on his arm.

“Jamie, I’m so glad I caught you,” says a familiar voice.  

He pastes on a smile as he turns, “Hi, Christine.” She’s part of the Stars PR team and the last thing Jamie needs or wants is a lecture about appropriate behavior at these sorts of things- he’s already been through that twice this season.

She returns the smile pleasantly enough, which Jamie assumes is a good sign and gestures to the man standing next to her. “I actually wanted to introduce you two. This is Tyler Seguin, he’s the head of one of the charities we’re working with tonight; Seguin’s Stars. This is our captain, Jamie Benn.”

Jamie’s met a lot of people from many different charitable organizations over the last few years but he’s pretty sure that none of them have ever looked like Tyler Seguin. He’s young, probably around Jamie’s age if he’d have to guess, maybe a bit younger- nearly as tall as him, too. Jamie can’t help but give him a quick once over, noting the way Tyler’s navy blue suit perfectly sits along his lithe frame. Jamie tries his best to appear neutral though as he reaches out to shake Tyler’s hand.

“Nice to uh- meet you,” Jamie says, feeling a flush start to spread on his cheeks.

“Nice to meet you too,” Tyler grins in return, before slowly looking Jamie up and down, nowhere near as discreetly as Jamie had been. “Black on black is a good choice.” And yeah, Jamie’s totally blushing now, he can feel the heat in his cheeks but he can’t seem to shift his gaze away from Tyler’s.

Christine interrupts them with a discreet cough. “Alright well I’ve got to get going. Jamie, you can take care of Tyler for a bit can’t you?”

Jamie nods mutely - not trusting his voice, because yeah he can definitely take care of Tyler, but probably not in the way Christine has in mind.

Jamie is, in fact, completely, one hundred percent comfortable with his sexuality. He’s known he was into guys ever since that time he was dared to kiss one of his teammates, back in juniors, and had an epiphany or two. But he’s never been comfortable acknowledging his sexuality in public, especially at events hosted by the Stars, with fans and cameras everywhere. He knows the score. And sure, his team is cool with it, but he knows that’s not a league-wide thing. He’s just not ready to risk his future, the captaincy and a chance at the cup for a quick hook up, even for someone who looks as good as Tyler. 

So he takes a breath, willing his blush to disappear. “Yeah, of course,” he says in a slightly higher pitch than normal, but he can’t win all his battles.

“Thanks, Jamie. You don’t mind do you, Mr. Seguin?” Christine asks.

“No, not at all. I’d love to get to know the captain here a bit better,” Tyler says with another easy grin and Jamie swallows hard. Christine nods her thanks and walks away. 

“So, Captain, are you enjoying your night so far?” Tyler asks. 

“It’s Jamie,” he says with a slight wince. “And uh yeah, it’s always a pleasure to spend an evening with our fans and charities. What about you?” 

“It's nice to go to events like these and spread the word about the organization. But to be honest, my night just got a whole lot better.” Tyler smirks again, casually placing a hand on Jamie’s arm and oh, there goes Jamie’s face getting red again. 

Jamie takes another sip of his beer and tries his best to remember that he is fully capable of interacting with other people without embarrassing himself, no matter how attractive they may be.   

“Should we head to a table?” Jamie asks, gesturing towards the empty tall table near them.

“Sure,” Tyler smiles warmly.

Jamie's sure to stand directly across from Tyler at the table, hoping the more space between them the better. “So tell me about Seguin’s Stars?”

“About five years ago, a friend of mine had a bad accident and the recovery was tough, like really tough and a doctor recommended he get a therapy dog,” Tyler says, his whole demeanor shifting to something more serious as he talks. “Man, that dog, Max, this beautiful golden retriever, she changed everything. She changed his life. That's when I knew I wanted to help others feel the same way we felt about Max. I’ve always loved dogs and had just fallen into a bit of money, it was like everything had lined up so I had to do it. We rescue dogs from shelters and train them to assist people in need, like vets and kids with special needs. Seeing them completely change lives like my friend’s all those years ago, it's amazing you know?”

Tyler's completely glowing by the end and Jamie’s just nodding, a matching smile on his face before he finds his voice. “Yeah, that sounds incredible.”

The conversation flows easily from there and before Jamie knows it, they've spent nearly an hour talking about dogs and hockey and family and Canada, like what are the chances Tyler's Canadian too, even if he is from the clearly inferior Ontario? They only stop because Christine comes back around, politely reminding Jamie he should be mingling with the other guests too.

Tyler graciously excuses himself with a “see you around!” and a squeeze of Jamie’s shoulder. If Jamie spends the rest of the evening distracted by glancing around every few minutes in hopes of spotting Tyler once again, it's really not his fault.

____

Jamie wakes up the next morning, grateful for a day off. He lazily tugs on a pair of sweatpants and pads into the kitchen, flicking on the coffee machine. He takes a seat at the counter ,waiting for it to brew, absentmindedly flipping through Instagram.

It really isn't his intention, but somehow his fingers end up typing in Tyler Seguin into the little search bar at the top. He can’t stop thinking about Tyler; the way he looked in that suit last night, the flirty grins he kept throwing Jamie’s way and how easily he got Jamie to open up, which never happens. 

 **tseguin92** pops up as a suggestion and at first Jamie’s not sure it's the right guy. The icon is a shirtless guy in a backwards cap and sunglasses, tattooed arms on display. Jamie didn't catch sight of any tattoos last night, but Tyler was in a full suit and maybe, if this is actually Tyler, Jamie’s even more screwed than before because he has a bit of a thing for ink. 

He braces himself, taking a deep breath before hitting the icon and oh, this is definitely Tyler. There are photos with friends, lots of selfies and even more pictures with dogs, three labs making repeat appearances. But nothing could've prepared Jamie for an entirely naked Tyler, all chiseled abs and muscular arms on display, with nothing but a rubber ducky in front of his crotch, captioned _Gotta take care of the goods #testicularcancerawareness._

If Jamie stares at the image for an obscene amount of time, it’s only fair considering the obscene nature of the photo. The coffee machine beeps again, waking Jamie from his stupor. The hot coffee will have to wait because Jamie’s in urgent need of a cold, freezing cold shower instead. His finger hovers over the follow button for a moment, before he presses down cause it's not a thirst follow if they've actually met. Right?

____

It’s been nearly three weeks since Jamie met Tyler and aside from an occasional like on Instagram and a few poorly timed daydreams, Jamie’s done a good job of avoiding thinking about him. 

He’s rushing into the rink one morning, running late after terrible traffic on the freeway. His gym bag starts slipping down his shoulder and as he tries to readjust it, he nearly knocks right into Christine. 

“Shit, sorry, I’m sorry,” Jamie says, frazzled. 

She waves him off. “It’s alright, I’m actually glad we bumped into each other. I wanted to remind you about the event on Saturday.”

“With the kids, right, yeah, I remember.”

“Exactly. It’s at noon, I’ll text you the address. Make sure to dress comfortably,” she reminds him.

“Yeah, of course. I’ll be there,” Jamie glances toward the locker room.

“Go on, that’s all I needed to tell you,” she says with a smile.

“Ok, great. Thanks,” Jamie says rushing down the hall through the double doors, seriously hoping Coach is in a decent mood and he doesn’t get chewed out for being late.

____

Jamie idly taps his fingers against his steering wheel as he drives towards the park. He’s actually excited about today’s event. He likes kids. Kids’ events he can totally do. Kids don’t stare at him when he says something awkward or he’s not sure what to say next. They usually just barrel ahead, excited to share whatever thought they’ve just had and that’s perfect for Jamie. And the best part is that they even laugh at his jokes.

He parks in the first empty spot he sees, which is surprisingly far back. There’s way more people at this event than he expected. The area is decorated with colorful banners and flags, makeshift booths everywhere and kids running around. There’s even a fenced off section with lots of kids and dogs and right in the middle, impossible to miss, in a backwards turned cap and an absurdly tight shirt, is Tyler. Jamie had totally not realized that Tyler would be at this event.  

Tyler’s playing with an adorable yellow lab and an equally adorable little boy. He’s patiently showing the little boy how to throw a frisbee, helping him hold it correctly and tossing it towards the emptier area to the right. The puppy takes off for the frisbee, bringing it back and dropping it at the feet of Tyler and the little boy. He can see Tyler whisper something to the kid, both of them laughing as Tyler guides the boy’s arms to gently pat the dog’s head and Jamie finds himself grinning at the sight, a fluttery feeling in his chest. Tyler looks up and catches Jamie looking. He grins at Jamie and mouths a “Hey.”  

Jamie waves as his phone buzzes in his pocket with a message from Stars PR, letting him know that Christine is running a little behind schedule and to mingle with the guests as best he can. The little boy and Tyler are guests, which sounds like the perfect place to start.

He starts to walk over towards the gate of the fenced area when he’s stopped by a tug on the back of his shirt.

Turning around, he spots a little girl in a Stars jersey and matching victory green bow in her dark hair. “Mr. Benn, Mr. Benn! Can I get your autograph?” she cheers, as an exasperated looking woman catches up to her.

“Oh my goodness, I’m so sorry, she just saw you and you’re her favorite player and she just took off,” the woman apologizes, bending down to grab hold of the little girl’s hand. “Now say sorry, Madison, you know we don’t just tug on people.”

“But mommy,” she starts, but the older woman gives her a look that has the little girl dropping her head and whispering a quiet sorry. 

“It’s alright. I’d actually love to sign something for you. That’s what today is all about, right?” Jamie says kneeling down so he’s eye level with the little girl, who’s back to bouncing happily. “What did you say your name was again? Was it mommy?”

“No, she’s mommy,” the girl giggles, pointing at her mom. “I’m Maddie.”

“Oh right, that makes much more sense. What would you like me to sign for you, Maddie?”

“This,” she says, twirling around proudly to show Jamie the back of her jersey, the large white letters bearing his name a bit too wide for her shoulders. 

“Well would you look at that, that’s my jersey,” Jamie exclaims. “I’ll definitely have to sign now.”

After signing the jersey and taking a few pictures with Madison and her mom, Jamie’s garnered enough attention that a small crowd has started to form. He takes his time greeting all the kids and their parents, signing their various items and posing for lots and lots of pictures. He’s probably on the tenth one when he looks over to his left and catches sight of Tyler once again. They make steady eye contact, Tyler raising an eyebrow and giving Jamie a look that Jamie can’t quite decipher. He shrugs nervously as Tyler walks over to him.

“Hey, Jamie. Fancy meeting you here,” he says with a hand on Jamie’s shoulder that lingers.

Not that Jamie’s complaining.

“Would you like some help? I could take the pictures. I’m pretty good at that,” Tyler winks and dropping his voice a bit, he adds, “which maybe you know from my Instagram?” Jamie flushes a bit, but he’s not ashamed. Yeah he’s liked one or ten of Tyler’s photos, but Tyler had liked his fair share of Jamie’s photos too.

“Yeah, that’d be great thanks,” Jamie smiles back.

Tyler and Jamie make a pretty good team, smoothly making their way through the rest of the parents and kids in line for pictures. Jamie’s in awe of how effortlessly Tyler charms the kids and the parents and finds himself being roped in as well.

“Want to grab some iced tea and cool off a bit?” Tyler asks, once the line finally ends. Jamie looks over for confirmation from the Stars PR team, who’d shown up midway through the line.

“No problem, we’ve got about 30 minutes till we need you again,” Christine says.

“Nice,” Tyler nudges Jamie. “I can introduce you to my dogs.”

They’re sipping on their drinks as they walk over to a pen with several dogs running around. Jamie notices the same blonde pup from earlier. “This is Cash, Marshall and Gerry. They’re actually my dogs, but they’re great with kids so I like to bring them to events like these,” Tyler unhooks the fence stepping inside. “Come on, they’re good boys, I promise.”

Jamie follows and immediately has an exuberant puppy pawing at his legs. “Aww, look at you, aren’t you friendly. Yes you are, yes you are,” Jamie says scratching behind the puppy’s ears.

“That’s Gerry,” Tyler explains, crouching down beside Jamie and getting an equally warm welcome from the two older dogs. “The brown one is Cash and the black one is Marshall. They’re my babies,” Tyler says amidst tongue baths from the pups.

“I can see that,” Jamie grins as Gerry takes to bouncing between him and Tyler.

“I’ve only had Gerry for a few months, he’s way more active than these two big boys.”

“Hey, don’t blame them, you're the owner,” Jamie grins, bumping Tyler’s shoulder. Tyler’s not expecting the contact, causing him to tip over onto the grass, Jamie’s momentum carrying him with Tyler. Tyler’s eyes go impossibly wide, which sets Jamie off.

And that’s how Christine finds them, flat on their asses, convulsing with laughter as the dogs playfully lick at their faces and hands.

“Sorry to interrupt but Jamie, we need you for a few games with the kids,” she says apologetically, her gaze flickering between them.

Jamie steadies himself. “Of course. I’m ready.” He pushes himself off the ground before offering Tyler a hand and pulling him up as well. “That was fun,” Jamie says.

“Yeah, it was,” Tyler says. “Maybe I can get your number and we can do this again sometime?”

Jamie hesitates, smile falling from his face. He hadn’t changed his mind, hot hook ups - even really hot ones with adorable dogs - just aren’t worth the risk.

“I mean, uh, like you can meet more of the dogs, maybe some of the people we’ve helped. We’ve got a lot of Stars fans at Seguin’s Stars,” Tyler adds.

There’s no way Jamie can say no to that, so he walks away with Tyler’s number in his phone and his number in Tyler’s.

Later that evening, just as he heads towards the shower, his phone pings with a notification.

It’s a text from Tyler. _Had a lot of fun today, these guys are TIRED,_ along with a photo of Gerry, Cash and Marshall splayed across the couch and what Jamie assumes are Tyler’s legs, if the muscular thighs are anything to go by.

He really needs that shower.

_____

Tyler and Jamie text constantly and it’s just as easy to talk to Tyler over text as it is in person. Tyler’s always sending silly messages about his day or stories about the dogs or - Jamie’s personal favorite - selfies with the dogs. And he seems genuinely interested in how Jamie’s day is going, even if it is just a whole day of sleeping off a brutal hit from the night before or practice.

So Jamie finally convinces himself that checking out the Seguin’s Stars headquarters is a good idea. He and Tyler are friends and Tyler has invited him to stop by and check out where his money is going on more than one occasion. Jamie finally has a day off where he’s not feeling all that sore, he doesn’t have any real obligations and if he’s completely honest with himself, he also really wants to see Tyler.

He shoots Tyler a text saying that he can stop by today and immediately gets back a video of some dogs running around and a text: _they’re almost as excited as me_.

Jamie spends the whole day with Tyler and he’s surprised at how easy being around Tyler is. His infectious personality brings out Jamie’s playfulness and humor in a way that few others are able to. He feels nearly as comfortable with Tyler as he does with Jordie except for one big, obvious difference. The worst part is the more time he spends with Tyler, the more attractive he becomes. Jamie can’t help the little swooping feeling in his belly when Tyler grins at him like they’re sharing a secret, or when he lets his hand linger on Jamie’s arm.

“Fuck,” Jamie grumbles, this is exactly what he didn’t want. He fishes out his phone from his pocket, dialing Jordie before he can talk himself out of it.

“I fucked up,” Jamie starts as soon as Jordie answers.

“Hey Chubbs, nice to hear from you,” Jordie says wryly.

“Jord, this is serious. I fucked up.”

“Right, sorry, man, what’s up?” Jordie asks, more serious this time.

“Remember that guy from the charity night, the one I told you about?”

“Hottie with the ink and the dogs, yeah, how could I forget? You only bring him up every time we talk,” Jordie deadpans. “What happened this time? Did he send another photo of his dogs? A shirtless selfie?”

“No, worse. We spent the whole day together and I like him, Jord.”

“No shit. I could’ve told you that. So what’s the problem?”

“The problem is that I can’t exactly go around hooking up with random guys. Especially not guys like Tyler.”

“Why not? I mean I know why you’re worried about going public with it, but why not see where it goes? What’s the worst that could happen?”

“You haven’t seen him,” Jamie half-whines. “He can literally have anyone he wants. I’m not even sure he’s into me. He’s flirty with everyone, like today he hugged a bunch of the other employees and you should’ve seen him with the moms that day in the park. I’m probably just making something out of nothing.”

“Chubbs, you know you’re a great guy. Anyone would be incredibly lucky to have you. You’re the fucking Captain of the Stars. And he’s definitely into you.”

“I….,” Jamie stammers. “I guess you’re right, I’ll keep talking to him. What’s the worst that could happen?”

 _____

So Jamie keeps texting Tyler, keeps laughing at his stupid jokes, keeps saving cute photos of dogs to his camera roll. Jamie even stops by Seguin’s Stars again, meeting a few of the patrons. So it’s not exactly a surprise when Tyler texts Jamie that he’s at a Stars game and offers to hang out afterwards. 

_Congrats on the win. U up for celebrating?_

Jamie hesitates and considers pretending that he hasn’t seen the message until later, before he ultimately decides why not? Tyler’s a bro and he’s fun. The boys will love him.

 _Drinks with the boys. Stop by._ Jamie texts back, along with the address of the club they’re planning on going to.

After a quick shower and fulfilling his post-game duties, Jamie grabs a cab with Rads and Smitty to the club. Tyler promising to meet them there.

The club is Rads’ choice, so it’s a little louder and rowdier than Jamie likes. There’s definitely some elbows and lots of _excuse-mes_ as they make their way to the VIP section. Once they’re seated, Jamie texts Tyler and tells him where they are. 

Jamie nurses a beer as he waits for Tyler to show. When Tyler finally makes it, Jamie has to remind himself to properly swallow his beer at the risk of looking like an idiot because Tyler looks so good. He’s wearing his signature backwards turned cap and a t-shirt that’s entirely too tight; not that Jamie’s complaining. Jamie tries to be subtle as he gives Tyler a quick once over, but judging by Tyler’s smirk, he fails.

“Hey, Benny. Congrats on the win. That goal was sick,” Tyler says cheerfully, leaning in to give Jamie a quick bro hug.

“Hey, Segs. Thanks, man,” Jamie smiles, before remembering he should probably introduce Tyler to the rest of the guys. It’s a little hard to yell over the thrum of the music so Jamie settles for introducing Tyler to Rous, his wife, and Rads, who are sitting closest to them.

“Hey,” Tyler waves before leaning dangerously close to Jamie’s ear, his warm breath tickling Jamie’s cheek. “I’ve actually already met some of them at events, you know, but thanks for introducing me.”

Jamie nods distractedly, still focused on the press of Tyler against his side.

“So what are you drinking?” Tyler asks, breaking Jamie out of his stupor.

Jamie tips his beer towards Tyler so he can see the label.

“Seriously bro, you’re not taking advantage of these bottles. That’s not right!” he says, before pouring some vodka and soda into a glass and squeezing lime on it. “Here, try this.” Tyler hands Jamie the glass. He looks on expectantly, so Jamie takes a sip.

“It’s not bad actually,” he says in surprise. He takes another sip and feels himself relaxing already.

“You’re not so bad yourself,” Tyler grins and Jamie smiles in spite of himself.

They stay like that for a while, chatting amicably, the drinks flowing freely. Then suddenly Tyler jumps up, looking excited. “Oh, this is my song,” he yells. “Come dance with me!”

Jamie doesn’t recognize the song, but Tyler starts jerkily moving his hips to the rhythm, holding his hand out expectantly.

Jamie’s usually reluctant to dance but the combination of drinks and adrenaline have him reaching for Tyler’s hand and standing up. They dance like that for a bit, moving to the beat in their little corner as best they can. Tyler mouths the lyrics as he dances, waggling his eyebrows at the suggestive ones. Jamie just laughs at him, his cheeks hurting from how long he’s been smiling.

The music changes, a smooth rhythm replaces the thumping bass. Tyler steps forward, moving into Jamie’s space, gently placing his hands on Jamie’s hips before tugging at Jamie’s belt loops so they’re flush against each other. He starts to sway his hips, slow and deliberate, unlike before. Jamie falters before thinking fuck it and letting his body match Tyler’s movements.

Tyler’s arms clasp around Jamie’s neck, his fingers softly playing with the hairs at the nape of Jamie’s neck. Jamie rests his hands right above the waistband of Tyler’s jeans, thumb grazing skin under that absurdly tight shirt. They’re unbearably close and yet still moving closer. Tyler’s eyes flicker to Jamie’s mouth, his tongue sweeping over his lips. Jamie’s breath catches. Tyler leans in, painfully slow before finally raising his chin and placing the faintest of kisses onto Jamie’s lips.

Jamie freezes, suddenly aware of where they are and who they’re with, he takes a small step backwards needing to put some space between Tyler and him and calm the hammering in his chest. His hands drop from Tyler’s hips and Tyler looks up at Jamie, confused.

“I, uh, I’m sorry. I have to go,” Jamie says before escaping down the steps and out the door, his heart thumping wildly.

Fuck, he thinks miserably as he calls for a car outside. This is exactly what he didn’t want.

____

Tyler texts him but Jamie doesn’t answer. Tyler calls but Jamie doesn’t pick up. Tyler texts and calls a lot, mostly apologizing for the night at the club, but Jamie ignores it all. It’s not that he’s mad at Tyler though, he’s mad at himself. He’s angry that he can’t just be like other people and date who he wants, that he feels the pressure of the entire organization on his shoulders. He’s already let them down by missing the playoffs, so could he really do this? Could he come out publicly and deal with the insanity and press sure to follow? Could he do that to the Stars?

Jamie honestly wishes there was an easy answer and that he could ignore Tyler forever or at least until he’s made up his mind, but he’d promised to visit the charity and meet a little girl Tyler had told him about.

Walking into Seguin’s Stars, Jamie is on a mission to avoid Tyler. Instead of heading straight to Tyler’s office like he usually would, he asks Mason, the employee manning the front desk, where to go. If Mason finds it odd he doesn’t say, instead walking Jamie into another room and introducing him to the little girl Sam.

It’s easy to ignore the sinking feeling in his gut, when he’s playing with a sweet dog and even sweeter little girl. But when Tyler eventually walks into the room, the feeling returns. Jamie tries to distract himself by making small talk with the little girl’s mom, desperately trying to ignore the sad look Tyler throws his way. As Tyler starts to walk over, Jamie panics.

“Well, it was lovely meeting you both,” Jamie rushes out, bending down to give the girl a hug and the mom a handshake.

He gives a curt nod in Tyler’s direction and dashes out the door back to the greeting area before Tyler even has a chance to say a word to him.

Jamie is saying his goodbyes to the other employees, when a symphony of barks rings through the door and a man Jamie hadn’t seen before walks in with a little German shepherd puppy in his arms.

At the same time, Tyler walks back into the main greeting area. “Oh my goodness, it’s our new puppy. Look at you, aren’t you handsome” Tyler says in his doggy dad voice, approaching the puppy and holding out his hand for licks.

“Thanks for bringing her down, Colin,” Tyler says to the man, before carefully taking the puppy into his own arms. “Let’s get you all sorted, shall we?” he asks the dog, who wiggles in his arms, clearly planning an escape. “Hey, Jamie, you mind coming with me to help take some photos of this one for our system. Mason needs to help Colin with the paperwork.”

Jamie nods before he realizes what he’s doing. Then he has no choice but to follow Tyler back into his office. Tyler places the dog on the floor, pulling out a treat from his pocket. “I’m going to put this down and try to get her to look up towards it. Can you grab the camera on my desk and take a photo while I do it, please?”

“Sure,” Jamie says, realizing it’s actually the first time all day Tyler and Jamie have spoken directly, which leaves him unsettled. Even though that’s exactly what Jamie had wanted, it  still feels weird.

Jamie quickly snaps a few pictures before handing the camera back to Tyler. Tyler drops a few more treats on the floor and kneels down to play with the puppy again.

“So what should we name him?” Tyler asks, voice wavering uncharacteristically, before suddenly leaning in close to the puppy’s face. “Oh you know, he kind of has big brown puppy dog eyes just like you. Maybe we should name him Captain?” Tyler actually flushes when he glances up at Jamie, which is also new.

At first Jamie looks at Tyler blankly, unsure how to react, before breaking out into a fond smile, touched at the fact that Tyler would name a puppy after him.

Tyler clears his throat, looking up at Jamie through his eyelashes, still seemingly unsure of himself, which is very unlike the Tyler that Jamie knows.

“I’m sorry. I’m really sorry. I shouldn’t have tried to kiss you at the club, in front of all those people. I feel so bad,” Tyler says dejectedly.

And Jamie knows Tyler’s feels bad, knows Tyler blames himself. Tyler had said that in the texts and the voicemails and Jamie knows it’s not fair for Tyler to blame himself. Not fair for Tyler to think he did something wrong, not when Jamie was the one who reacted rashly. Jamie shoves his hands in his pockets and takes a deep breath. “Don’t, um don’t feel bad. I could’ve handled that better. I’m sorry.”

Tyler looks up, gaze firmly on Jamie now. “So, then, maybe I’m reading this all wrong but this, like me and you, there’s definitely something there right? I’m not just imagining it? Because if I am please tell me right now and I’ll stop. The last thing I want to do is make you feel more uncomfortable.” 

“I….” Jamie hesitates, meeting Tyler’s gaze and it must read on his face because Tyler stands up and moves directly in front of him.

“Jamie?” Tyler asks again stepping even closer to Jamie.

“Fuck. There is, Tyler, but…”

“But what?” Tyler presses and the look on his face, the sincerity in his voice, and how happy and secure Jamie feels around Tyler and his dogs, that’s worth taking a risk for. So Jamie leans in and kisses him. Tyler’s frozen for just a moment before he returns the kiss enthusiastically. Jamie’s hands tangle in Tyler’s hair and just as Jamie’s tongue grazes Tyler’s lips, a loud bark has them both jumping back in surprise. They look at each other stunned before Tyler starts shaking with laughter, Jamie joining in seconds later, Captain skipping between the two of them excitedly.

“We’re doing that again,” Tyler promises with a wink and a chaste kiss to Jamie’s lips as he leans down to pick Captain up in his arms and walks back down the hall to let him into the play area. Jamie runs his finger over his still tingling lips. Yes, yes they definitely are.  

_____

Jamie’s in line waiting for his beer and realizing that it’s already been a year since the last time he was here. He remembers standing in this exact same spot, feeling just as uncomfortable, waiting on his drink. He’s still thinking about how fast the time’s flown by when an arm wraps around his waist.

“Babe, you look tense. Relax a bit,” Tyler says, placing a soft kiss on Jamie’s cheek and Jamie instinctively melts into Tyler’s side.

“Yeah, I know. The beer will help though. And you, you help a lot,” Jamie says smiling at Tyler. Tyler grins back, they stand there for a while just looking at each other, matching smiles on their faces, and Jamie’s never felt so happy.

He can’t help but think back to this night last year and how he was totally right that a one time hook up with a hot guy wasn’t worth the risk, but Tyler, his boyfriend, most definitely is.


End file.
